Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a vehicle control device which is capable of automatically performing an engine start/stop in response to an accelerator pedal depression operation.
Background Information
Conventionally, as a vehicle control device described above, the vehicle control device disclosed in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2008-168700, for example, is known, wherein the control device comprises an engine and a motor, and is used in a hybrid vehicle capable of switching between traveling with only the motor and traveling with both the engine and the motor in accordance with a traveling mode. The conventional device above determines the sports degree such as a normal traveling state in which the traveling state of a vehicle is within a normal range or a sports traveling state in which the traveling state is outside of the normal range, on the basis of a driving operation by a driver and the traveling environment of the traveling path, and changes the boundary between an electric vehicle (EV) traveling mode region in which only a motor drives the vehicle and a hybrid vehicle (HEV) traveling mode region in which a motor and an engine drive the vehicle, from an original position according to the normal traveling state to the electric traveling mode region side to expand the hybrid traveling mode region, when the determination result is a sports traveling state.